Downing Street has announced the new Bishop of Bolton will be the Venerable Mark Ashcroft, currently Archdeacon of Manchester.
Ashcroft, 61, will be consecrated in York Minster by the Archbishop of York in October and will take up his role in November. A married father of three, Ashcroft said he was "honoured and thrilled" by the appointment.
"Greater Manchester is a fantastic place to live and serve, and I am looking forward to getting to know and love the communities and churches" in the area, he said.
"It is a great privilege to be able to share the good news of Jesus, and to encourage and lead the church in being a blessing to their communities. I already know that I have wonderful colleagues to share this ministry with."
Ashcroft was ordained the Manchester diocese but after three years as a curate, he moved to Kenya in 1986 for nine years and taught in a theological college, later becaming principal. A brief biography states he and his wife Sally have a "lifelong commitment to mission" as well as interests in gardening, birdwatching and walking the dog.
He returned from Kenya to be rector of Christ Church Harpurhey where he served from 1996 to 2009. He was then appointed Archdeacon of Manchester.
The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Revd Dr David Walker, said: "I am delighted that Archdeacon Mark has accepted the crown's invitation to be the next Bishop of Bolton. Having worked with him as a colleague, I know that he has the requisite gifts and skills, and that this new role will give him a base from which to offer even more to God and the Church."
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, said: "Mark has a great passion for mission and evangelism which he will continue to build on in his new ministry as Bishop of Bolton. He has a true heart for the poor and the marginalised and has lived this out throughout his ministry, both overseas and, here, in the Diocese of Manchester."
